McKinlay blossoms from Raploch roots

The teenager shot to prominence on television and is prospering with Chelsea and Scotland. Now hes eager to gain revenge on England today. By Martin Greig

WHEN the Scotland Under-17 squad gather for their regular media training seminars, Kevin McKinlay could be forgiven for allowing his attention to wander. The 16-year-old striker has already undergone a crash course in how to handle life in front of the cameras. The Chelsea and Scotland youth striker was one of the main subjects in last year’s Raploch Stories series on BBC Scotland, a fly-on-the-wall documentary that followed the diverse lives of residents in Stirling’s notorious Raploch estate. The programme tracked McKinlay for a year, detailing his rise from a local club, Carse Thistle, to his eventual move to join Chelsea, where he stars for the under-19 side. The final episode showed the wide-eyed 15-year-old walking out on to the Stamford Bridge turf for the first time before signing on the dotted line — an inspirational and optimistic finale to a fine social documentary.